Machine and method for making wound articles



June20, 1933. w WOOD Er AL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING WOUND ARTICLES Filed March 16, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet l Fig. l.

1A1 'ENTORS, Wa/fer 6 Wood Herman 6. fld/er.

ATTORNEYS.

Fl QUE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

W. A. WOOD ET AL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING WOUND ARTICLES Filed March 16, 1932 June 20, 1933.

d ww m m m em m M3 W 1 M AM/ June 20, 1933. w, W OD Er AL 1,915,113

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING WOUND ARTICLES Filed March 16 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 m 5 WW i we 1 M INVENTORS l l a/fv A %0(/. Herman G $078k BY ham/ M kTToRNEYs June 20, 1933. w, A, WOOD ET AL 1,915,113

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING WOUND ARTICLES Filed March 16 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 MMMWH H 7"u '9. ig l.. 5

INVENTORS M a/fer 4 W00 0 Herman G. fld/er zgwiw ww- ATTORNEYS Patented June 20, 1933 PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES WALTER A. WOOD AND HERMAN G. ADLER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO HANDY GOVERNOR CORPORATION,

MICHIGAN 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING WOUND ARTICLES Application filed March 16, 1932. Serial No. 599,210.

This invention relates to a machine and inethod for makingarticles which comprises windings of strip stock, particularly metal stock. The invention is directed particularly towards the making of an air filter of the type shown in application, Serial No. 599,- 209, filed March 16, 1932, in which application, the air filter is claimed and the method of making it is claimed broadly. The invention herein will be described as -a ma chine and method for making an air filter, but it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to winding strip material to form devices other than air filters. I More specifically the invention is concerned with the winding of strip stock which originally may be of ribbon form. The strip stock is worked upon so that it is given an irregular form; that is to say, it is fashioned out of its original flat ribbon-like form. One manner of doing this in accordance with the present invention, is to corrugate the ribbon stock transversely; then inorder to prevent the corrugations of adjacent windings from fitting into each other, the corrugations in the ribbon are worked upon so that the true corrugated shape is changed. For the lack of a better term, it is specified that the corrugated strip is deformed.

The strip of material which the present machine and method may handle may be of varying sizes but it may be pointed out that the present invention is directed towards the provision of a machine and method for handling light strip stock which is quite fragile. Broadly speaking, the objects of the invention are to provide a machine and method wherein the strip stock is drawn from a supply such as from the reel, and with substantially continuous movement it is worked upon to produce its irregular shape and then directly wound upon a rotating support or the like into an air filtering body. The working upon the strip to produce its irregular formation may comprise first, the corrugating the ribbon crosswise, and then deforming the corrugations in such manner that the corrugated formation of adjacent pieces of the strip will not interfit with each other but will be disposed in such manner as to provide interstices between them. There are a number of other objects of the invention but these will be brought out as the detailed description progresses.

In the accompanying drawin s:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view 0% a machine constructed in accordance with the invention. a

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View thereof.

Fig- 3 is a top view with some parts removed and other parts in section showing the mechanism for shaping the ribbon stock.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the structure shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the clutch members which may be employed.

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section in illustration of a fluid motor which may be employed in conjunction with the invention.

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view illustrating a control valve for a fluid supply to a fluid motor.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View taken through the mounting for a spool from which the ribbon stock may be drawn.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic View of an electrical wiring system which may be employed with the machine.

Fig. 11 is a view showing in more detail the mechanism for assisting in the winding. of the ribbon stock.

Fig. 12 is a more or less diagrammatic view illustrating the successive shapes of the strip as it is formed.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional detail showing the mounting for one friction roller.

The apparatus comprises a unit generally referenced 1, having suitable mechanism and means for shaping the length of material. A unit 2 for holding a spool or reel from which the stock is drawn, and a winding unit 3 for supporting and rotating a form or the like upon which the shaped strip stock is wound.

At the outset the structure of the spool sup porting unit 2 may be considered. Ribbon stock of about .021 of an inch in width and .0025 of an inch in thickness has been employed and it will be noted that a strip of such dimensions is quite fragile. Special means are provided therefor for holding the spool for reasons later to appear. The unit 2 may comprise a post 5 on a fixed support and having a shoulder 6. A spool supporting device having a hollow body 7 may be placed over the post'and rotatable relative therethrough for which purpose anti-frictlon bearings 8 may be employed held spaced by spacer element 9. The member 7 may rest upon a washer 10 advantageously of fibrous material and which takes the vertical load. A washer 11 may be disposed below the shoulder 6 and held at its edges by a screw thread- "ed bushing 12. By tightening or loosening the bushing 12 the friction on the washer 10 is increased or decreased. A spindle 13 rises from the body 7 and this is designed to receive a spool 14 containing the metal strip; the spool may be held in place by a nut 15 having a conical part 16 adapted to center the aperture in the spool and with the spool resting upon a conical part 17. With this construction frictional retardation to the rotating of the spool may be governed by the adjustment on the spring washer 11. The friction to the rotation is greatest when the spool is full of wire as the weight creates a downward thrust on the washer 10, but the friction progressively diminishes with the diminishing weight of the wire on the spool as it is used. It will be appreciated that when the spool is full of ribbon stock the ribbon stock, as it is being drawn therefrom, operates through an effective relatively large lever action, but as the diameter of the stock upon the spool decreases in use, the effective leverage lessens. To offset this the parts above described are nicely arranged and adjusted so that the frictional retardation to spool rotation is effectively lessened more or less in proper proportion to the decrease of the effective lever action in such a manner that the tension in the ribbon is maintained substantially constant. This frictional action of the parts and construction to take advantage of same may be worked out with a nicety for small ribbon having dimensions similar to those mentioned above as used to prevent ribbon breakage during machine operation.

The ribbon stock is shown in Fig. 12 as at 20, and it may be drawn from the spool in flat form; the unit 1 of the machine corrugates the ribbon as shown at B in Fig. 12, and then deforms the corrugations as shown at C in Fig. 12.

A suitable driving motor is shown at 21 exerting its driving action through a flexible coupling 22. In order to effect a relatively slow start of the machine a clutch is arranged between the motor and the mechanism; this may be a centrifugal clutch. The machine may include a flywheel 23 carrying a clutch cup 24. Mounted upon a .drive shaft 25 is a sleeve 26 equipped with radial pins 27. There may be four of such pins equally spaced, and slidably mounted upon each pin may be a segmental centrifugal Weight 28 apertured as at 29 for receivmg a pin with the aperture preferably being provided with an internal pin engaging shoulder 30. As the motor starts to drive the shaft 25 the weights 28 are thrown outwardly to engage. the inner circumferential surface of the clutch cup with the frictional action tending to rotate the flywheel 23. The clutch is designed to slip considerably in picking up the flywheel so that the flywheel starts slowly inorder to eliminate a quick start such as would snap the small ribbon stock. It is to be noted that the centrifugal weights are apertured off center so that the centrifugal force of each weight isgreater on one side of the aperture than the other and the direction of rotation of the clutch is such that the mass of weight in each segment is on the trailing edge. In other words, the weight shown in Fig. 5 would move clockwise and its trailing edge tends to swing outwardly due to centrifugal force more than its leading edge, which action is permitted by the small contact of shoulder 30 with the drlvmg pin. Accordingly, the leading edge is prevented from biting into the .clutch cup in such manner as to effect quick acceleration of the flywheel.

The flywheel is carried by, and rotates, a shaft 35 equipped near its end with a gear 36. meshing with a gear 37 on a shaft 38 positioned immediately above the shaft 35. A gear 39 is on shaft 38 meshing with a similar gear on shaft 35. The result is that gears 36 and 37'are rotated in synchronism but neitherrotates the other. These gears 36 and 37 are corrugating gears for the ribbon stock.

An idler gear 40 is driven from a gear on shaft 35 which may be the one also meshing with gear 39, and this idler drives the gear 41 fastened to a shaft 42. A friction driving roller 43 is also'on shaft 42. A shaft 44 is journaled above the shaft 42 and two gears, the upper one of which is shown at 45 and which is fastened to shaft 44, mesh together so that the shaft 42 and shaft 44 rotate in unison. friction driving roller 46. These rollers may be confined in a housing 47 and the ribbon stock 20 passes through the housing more or less in a guided fashion by passing through apertures 48 and 49 and pass between the friction rollers. A spring 47A, located in an aperture 47B may act upon the shaft 44 to press the rollers 46 and 43 toward each other. The spring may be backed up'by a cover 47C as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 4 the ribbon stock is provided with slack as at A between the friction rollers and the Upon shaft 44 is also a bon stock passes corrugating ears, the purpose of which will presently be rought out.

Accordingly, thus far it will be seen, that as the machine operates, the friction rollers 43 and 46 draw the ribbon stock from the spool 14, the ribbon stock passing in slack form to the corrugating gears where the ribbetween these gears and becomes corrugated. At this point it may be said that the corrugating gears 36 and 37 are preferably undersize so that their interengaging teeth do not contact with each other leaving sufficient clearance for the passage between them of the ribbon stock. As the ribbon stock passes through the corrugating gears 36 and 37 it has a corrugated form as shown at B Fig. 4 and Fig. 12).

The next operation performed upon the ribbon stock is that of deforming the corrugations which may be done after the manner shown in Fig. 12 wherein the deformed corrugated part is shown at C. The corrugated portions are bent or flanged over as shown preferably along the edges of the stock intermediate the ridges of the corrugated formation. As the corrugated ribbon stock leaves the corrugationg gears it passes into a V-shaped guide 50 leading into a guideway 51 and the stock may be turned through substantially 90 so that it is edgewise. Then it passes through opposed deforming rollers 52 and 53 mounted respectively on a shaft 54 and a shaft 55. The shafts are driven through the means of an idler gear 56 which meshes with a gear 57 on shaft 53. In a housing 58 (Fig. 3) there are two gears one fixed to each shaft 53 and 54, one of which is shown at 59 which mesh together so that the shaft drives the shaft 54 in unison therewith. The deforming rollers 52 and 53, as shown in Fig. 3, are of less thickness than the depth of the corrugations in the ribbon and are placed with their peripheries sufficiently close together so as to engage the ribbon and deform the edges of the corrugations as shown at C (Fig. 12).

As the stock passes through the deforming rollers it enters into a shuttle tube 60 (Fig. 11) which reciprocates in order that the formed stock may be helically wound as soon to be described. A pair of gears 61 and 62 (Fig. 4) are provided, the gear 61 being on shaft 63 which carries the gear 56 and the gear 62, through its shaft 64, rotates shaft 65 through a Worm and worm gear connection as illustrated. The shaft 65 in turn, operates through a worm and worm gear connection as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 to rotate a cam 66, which in the present instance, may be termed a star-shaped open cam. The shuttle tube is carried by an arm 67 pivoted as at 68 and this arm has an engaging stud or roller 69 held in engagement with the cam by a torsion spring 70 (Fig.

,4). As the cam rotates therefore the shuttle tube is reciprocated so that the ribbon stock is wound helically u on the supporting device as illustrated in Fig. 1.

An electric switch 70 (Fig. 2) is situated near the cam and mounted upon the cam shaft 18 a gear segment 71. The switch 7 0 is of the type which will break an electric circuit upon rotary action and likewise make an electric circuit upon rotary action. Each time the cam and its shaft make substantially a complete revolution the teeth on the segment engage with gear teeth 71 on the switch to give the switch a rotary movement and effectbreaking of an electric circuit, the purpose of which is to stop the machine at an appropriate time.

The winding unit 3 comprises a suitably journalcd shaft 75 adapted to receive a supporting base or the like 76 which may be disposed between end plates 77 and 78 and upon which the ribbon is to be wound. The supporting device may be held upon the shaft by a nut 79. It will be appreciated that as the diameter of the winding upon the support 76 increases that the speed of the rotation thereof must in some manner be synchronized with speed of travel of the strip stock. To accomplish this, the invention contemplates an arrangement whereby the rotary speed of the support 76 may be decelerated. Accordingly, a fluid motor is emp'oyed. Such a motor is shown in Fig. 6 wherein a supporting block 80 is arranged to provide a rotor housing and situated within the housing is a rotor 81 with blades, which rotor is fastened to the shaft 75 to drive the same. As shown in Fig. 7 the rotor housing may be provided by a recess in the block 80 and a cover plate 83, which cover plate may be provided with an air discharge port .84. A fluid such as air under pressure may enter through a conduit 85 and passageway 86 in the block and the air under pressure effects rotation of the rotor and shaft 75. The air may discharge through port 84. The air supply may be provided from suitable air line 87 through a valve 89 from whichv a conduit 90 and a conduit 91 lead to the line 85. This is advantageously a three-way valve as shown in Fig. 8 wherein the valve member has a port 92,a port 93, and a constricted port 94. The air motor advantageously is relatively weak and to start the machine the valve is preferably turned so that air may pass from the line 87 to line 91 through the relatively large passageways 92 and 93. This supplies a large volume of air to the rotor to start it rotating. After the machine is under way, the valve may be turned to the position shown in Fig. 8 so that the air supply constricted by the passageway 94 cutting down the power in the air motor. As successive helical winds ings of the ribbon stock are provided the rotary speed of the rotor and the shaft 75 is decelerated as in effect a greater load is, placed upon the air motor.

In the operation of the machine, 20 is drawn from the spool by the friction rollers 43.and 46 with a relatively constant speed and the corrugated gears 36 and 37 then corrugate the strip. As the strip stock 1s more or less gathered in the corrugated o eration the speed of movement ofthe strlp at the friction rollers must be greater than the speed of movement of the strip as it is corrugated. This differential inay be taken care of by a suitable gearing and also by providing the friction gears of greater diameter thanthe corrugating gears. Also there is a fluctuation or variation in the speed of the movement in the strip when "it is corrugated with the frequency corresponding to the frequency of the number of gear teeth upon the corrugating rollers multiplied by the rotary speed thereof. It is for this purpose that the slack A is provided. The frietion rollers feed the strip stock with constant movement into the slack A but the corrugating rollers remove the strip stock from the slack A with relatively high frequency variable movement. This would result in breaking or snapping the ribbon were it not for the loop of slack A. The deforming rollers 52 and 53 are driven at an appropriate speed preferably synchronized with the movement of the ribbon stock. The gears 61 and-62 may be changed for other gears in order to appropriately time the shuttle arm.

Arrangements are made preferablyfor automatically discontinuing machine operation in the event of breakage in the ribbon and preferably also for stopping the machine aftera sufficient quantity of ribbon has been wound on the support 76. This may be done electrically as illustrated by the wiring dia-' gram of Fig. 10. The conductors for the motor 21 are shown at 100 and 101, the current passing through a core 102 of a solenoid. When the solenoid is energized, aswitch arm 103 is acted upon to close the motor circuit. 1 suitable source of electrical energy is illustrated at 104 having a conductor 105 leading to the unit 2 which contains the spool of ribbon and a conductor 106 passing through the windings of the solenoid and a conductor 107 leading therefrom to the switch 70. A conductor 108 leads from the switch to the unit 3. The circuit is completed through the ribbon stock 20 connecting the units 2 and 3. To start the machine an operator closes switch 70 manually if desired; this energizes the solenoid and makes the motor circuit and the machine is set into operation. If the ribbon stock breaks, the solenoid circuit is broken and the motor circuit opened. Upon one full rotation of the cam shaft its segmental arm 72 with its gear teeth mesh with the gear teeth 71 on the switch, rotates the same sufficiently the strip stop. It will be noted to snap the switch and open the same, thus breaking the solenoid circuit and opening the motor circuit and the machine comes, to a that the particular canpgshown has five cam elements sothat in one complete rotation thereof ten superimposed helical windings of ribbon stock are wound upon the support 76, then the switch is operated to brea the solenoid circuit. be support 76 with its wound stock may t en be 'removed from the shaft and another empty support placed thereon and the machine again set into operation.

It will be appreciated that when segmental arm 71 operates to stop the flow of current through the motor, the speed of the motor diminishes at a rapid rate. The centrifugal force acting upon clutch members 28 decreases corres ondingly, and hence 'unit 1 tends to stop a ruptly as soon as flowof electricity through motor is interrupted; However, unit 2, due to its relatively high speed and consequently large angular momentum, may continue to rotate for an appreciable .period, thus unwinding a relatively large amount of ribbon. Flywheel 23 has been rovided with an object to absorb this rib on, as it is evident that by regulating the dimen: sions of this flywheel, unit 1 may be caused to decelerate at a lesser rate than unit 2.

We claim:

1. A machine substantially for the purpose described comprising means for advancing a strip of metal stock lengthwise, a pair of cooperating gears between which the strip extends, the teeth of said gears forming corrugations in the strip stock, means for rotating the gears, and a shuttle guide device for winding and guiding the corrugated strip stock onto a support into a plurality of superimposed helixes.

2. A machine substantially for the purpose described comprising a pair of opposed driving rollers between which a strip of material passes, for moving the strip lengthwise, a pair of opposing corrugating gears between which the strip passes to be corrugated thereby,,means for deforming the corrugations in the strip comprising a pair of opposed rollers for en aging opposite sides of the .strip, a rotary -device for carrying a support, and means for guiding the corrugated and deformed strip to the rotary device to be wound thereon.

3. A machine substantially for the purpose described comprising a pair of opposed driving rollers between which a strip of material passes for moving the strip len thwise, a pair of opposing corrugating gears between which the strip passes to be corrugated thereby, means for deforming the corrugations in the strip comprising a pair of opposed rollers for engaging opposite sides of the strip, said deforming rollers engaging the edges of the corrugations and the engaging parts of thedeforming rollers being of a width less than the depth of the corrugations, a rotary device for carrying a support, and means for guiding the corrugated and deformed strip to the rotary device to be wound thereon.

4. A machine substantially for the purpose described comprising a pair of opposed driving rollers between which a strip of material passes, for moving the strip lengthwise, apair of opposing corrugating gears between which the strip passes to be corrugated thereby, means for deformingthe corrugations in the strip comprising a pair'of opposed rollers for engaging opposite sides of the strip, said deforming rollers engaging the edges of the corrugations and the engaging parts of the deforming rollers being of a width less than the depth of the corrugations, a rotary device for carrying a support, andmeans for guiding the corrugated and deformed strip to the rotary device to be wound thereon, said last named means comprising a shuttle device for guiding the strip so that the said strip is wound into a plurality of super-imposed helixes upon the supporting device.

5. A machine substantially for the purpose described comprising a pair of driving rollers for engaging opposite sides of a strip of stock and passing the same lengthwise, a pair of corrugating gears between which the strip passes for corrugating the strip, a guide device for turning the corrugated strip substantially through 90, a pair of opposing deforming rollers for engaging opposite edges of the corrugated strip for deforming the corrugations therein, a rotary device upon which the formed strip is wound, a guide device for guiding the formed strip onto the rotary device, and means for oscillating the guide device.

6. A machine for making a body formed of a plurality of superimposed windings of fragile strip stock comprising mechanism for advancing the strip stock lengthwise and for giving the strip an irregular shape, a rotary support upon which the irregularly shaped strip is wound, and a fluid motor for driving the rotary device adapted to hold the fragile strip taut and adapted to permit deceleration of the rotary device as the diameter of the body of strip wound thereon increases.

7. A machine for making an air filtering body comprising a support for holding a spool of fragile ribbon metal stock, mechanism including feeding rollers and rollers acting upon the ribbon stock to deform the same out of its normally straight forin, a rotary winding device for winding up the said formed strip into said body, and a fluid motor for driving the winding device which holds the fragile strip taut and which is adapted to permit deceleration of the winding device as thereon increase in diameter.

the windings 8. machine for making an air filterlng ,motor for driving the winding device which is adapted to permit deceleration of the winding devlce as the windings thereon increase in diameter.

9. A machine for making an air filtering body composed of windings of irregularly shaped fragile ribbon stock, comprising mechanism for moving the stock lengthwise and for deforming the ribbon out of its normally straight form, means for driving the mechanism substantially ata constant speed, a winding device upon which the formed stock is wound, and an air motor for driving the winding device for holding the fragile stock taut and adapted to permit of variable speeds of the winding device to accommodate for the increase in diameter of the windings as the strip is wound thereon.

10. A machine for making an air filtering body from windings of metal ribbon stock,

comprising inechanism for advancing the stock lengthwise and for acting upon the ribbon stock to deform the same out of its normally straight form, power means for operating the mechanism, a centrifugal clutch between the power means and mechanism adapted to slip and permit the mechanism to start into operation relatively slowly, a winding device for winding thereupon the said strip, and an air motor for rotating the winding device.

11. In a machine for winding metal stock into a body, comprising a support for a spool of the stock, mechanism for drawing the stock from the spool and for acting upon the stock to change its form, a rotary winding device upon which the stock is wound, an electric motor for driving said mechanism, conduc- -tors of electrical current for the motor, a magnetic switch in said conductors, and an electrical circuit for closing the magnetic switch including conductors leading to the said support for the spool and the winding head whereby the said strip completes said electrical circuit.

12. A machine for forming a body composed of winding strip metal stock, comprising a support for a spool of the stock, mechanism for drawing the stock therefrom and for acting upon the same, a winding device, an oscillating guide for guiding the strip onto the winding device, an electric motor for driving the mechanism, a magnetic switch in the motor circuit, a second circuit for operbreak the motor circuit through the means I suppl windin of the magnetic switch.

13. A machine for forming a body composed of winding strip metal stock, comprising a support for a spool of the stock, mechanlsm for drawing t e stock therefrom and for actingupon the same, a windin device, an oscillating guide for guidin t e strip onto the windin device, an electric motor for driving the mec anism, a magnetic switch in the motor circuit, .a second clrcuit for operating upon the magnetic switch, a switch disposed in said second circuit, switch 0 eratmg means associated with the oscil atingguide device and arranged to actuate said switch in the second circuit after a predetermined number of oscillations of the ide device whereby to break the secondcircuit and in turn break the motor circuit through the means of the magnetic switch, said second circuit including conductors leading to the said spool support and said winding head whereby the strip stock connecting the same constitutes a conductor in the second circuit. 14. The method of forming an air filterin body or the like from wound ribbon stoc which oom rises drawing the stock from a witli lengthwise movement, shaping the ri bon stock corrugate fashion, maintaining'slack in the stock between the locations of drawing the same and of corrugating the same to accommodatethe fluctuations in the movement of the stock as it is corrugated, and then windin the stock into a plurality of to orm a body. 15.

ing body or the like from wound ribbon stock trifugal the stock, and then winding the said stock into a plurality of windings to form a body.

17. machine for making an air filtering body of metal ribbon stock, com rising means for advancing the stock lengt wise, power means for operating the mechanism, a censlowly, means for stopping the operation relatively slowly, a support for a spool of ribbon metal stock with the spool in a vertical position, friction means retarding the rotation of the spool wherein the frictional effect is such as to cause a uniform tension to exist in the ribbon stock and prevent unduly'slow deceleration of said spool when said power means is stopped. H

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

. WALTER A. WOOD.

HERMAN G. ADLER.

e method of forming an air filterwhich comprises drawing the stock from a I suppl wit lengthwise movement, shaping the ri bon stock corrugate fashion, maintaining slack in the stock between the locations of drawing the same and of corrugating the same to accommodate the fluctuations in the movement of the stock as it is corrugated, deforming the ed es of the corrugate portions of the stock, an then winding the stock into a plurality of windings to form a body.

16. The method of forming an air filtering body or the like from wound ribbon stock which comprises drawing the stock from 'a supply with lengthwise movement, shaping the ribbon stock corrugate fashion, maintaining slack in the stock between the locations of drawing the same and of corrugating the same to accommodate the fluctuations in the movement of the stock as it is corrugated, twisting the stock through substantially 90, deforming the edges of'the corrugate portions of clutch between the power means and .mechan sm adapted to slip and permit the mechanism to start into operation relatively 

